Flower Gardening 101 - The Basics

Do you desire to landscape your home and yard surroundings with beautiful and colorful flowers? What better way to make your home a peaceful, lovely, and enchanting place for all to admire. No matter what season it is; winter, spring, summer or fall, flowers can dramatically enhance the atmosphere in which they are living. There are a few important things that you should know about planting flowers before you get started. We have complied some of these great tips below.

When deciding on what type of flowers to plant, you have to decide how long you want the flowers to last. Annuals will bloom for the season and then die; perennials usually bloom for a month or two but will come back year after year. Perennials are usually more costly but certainly a savings in the long run. Then you must do some research and determine which flowers will grow in, and withstand, the weather conditions of your climate.

Examine the areas where you wish to plant. Study how much shade and sun they receive. This will also determine which plants should be put where. Plants requiring shade should not be put in direct sunlight, and likewise, plants requiring plenty of sunlight should not be planted in the shade. Now you will see how you are slowing putting together a garden design.

In your flower garden design, you can choose to mix different colored flowers, maintain certain colors in certain sections or just use one color. Plant according to the flowers bloom time. Make sure each bed has flowers that will appear when others are fading. This will provide a continually changing scene.

Now that you have your design set, you are ready to begin buying. You can buy seeds from catalogues or stores. You can plant these directly in the ground or start them in a pot in the house and then transplant. Before planting the flowers, lay them out and make sure you have established proper spacing between plants and a look you like. Then go ahead and start your masterpiece by planting.

Throughout the season, make sure you water your flowers thoroughly and keep the soil moist. Be sure to pinch back faded blooms to encourage new growths. Don't forget to get rid of any nasty weeds that dare to show their presence. After the season is over, which is after the first frost, pull all annuals stems and roots and all perennials stems but not their roots. Clean up the soil and mix some peat moss or compost in it to replenish nutrients used by your flowerbed. You will be in good shape to go again next year.

Flower gardening has become increasingly popular. The gardening craze began several years ago. It is a hobby suited for those wishing to get in touch with nature or simply wanting some relaxing time. Once in full bloom a flower garden can provide a tranquil place to enjoy the scenery or entertain friends. You will soon find it was worth any time you needed to put into it.